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Global Grief Network Education Center
Module 6 of 6

Practitioner Takeaways

About 1 hour

If you or someone you know may be in danger right nowCall 988Text 988Immediate danger: call 911

988 is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. It is free, confidential, and open 24/7 by call, text, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Veterans: dial 988 then press 1. Outside the US, use your local emergency number or crisis line. This program is education, not crisis care. If you are struggling as you read, please pause and reach out now.

Lessons in this module
  1. See, Validate, Include, Connect
  2. Checking assumptions
  3. Inclusive practice

Objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to:

Lesson

See, Validate, Include, Connect

See losses others may miss. Validate them with clear acknowledgment. Include overlooked mourners in rituals, groups, and conversations. Connect people with support that fits their specific loss.

Checking assumptions

Practitioners also carry assumptions about whose grief counts. Ask open questions about relationships and losses, and avoid assuming family structure, relationship type, or the meaning of a loss.

Inclusive practice

Use intake forms and language that allow people to name any important relationship. Offer groups or resources for overlooked losses. Make crisis resources visible, including 988 and 911.

1See2Validate3Include4Connect
GGN reminder: Inclusive grief support begins with asking rather than assuming.
GGN practiceInclusion audit (about 15 minutes)

Review one form, flyer, or welcome message you use. Note any words that assume a type of relationship or loss. Rewrite them to be inclusive. If this brings up pain, pause and reach out to someone you trust, or call or text 988.

Fictional storyFictional Story 6.1: The intake form

Rafael noticed his grief group intake form asked only about deaths of spouses, parents, and children. A participant grieving a close friend wrote, I was not sure I belonged here.

Questions to consider:

  1. What could Rafael change?
  2. How would this help?

Discussion: Rafael could change the form to ask, Who have you lost and what were they to you? This would signal that every relationship and loss is welcome.

Reflection Prompts

  1. Whose grief might your practice overlook?
  2. What would make your space more inclusive?
  3. Which resources for specific losses could you gather?

Module 6 Quiz

Choose one answer per question, then check your answers. You need 4 of 5 correct to pass, and every critical item must be correct. You can retake it any time.